NEOS Inquiry on Iran Deals by MedAustron
MedAustron, a GmbH owned by the state through a holding company, is building an ion therapy facility near Tehran. The inquiry addresses the compliance with sanctions. MedAustron emphasizes that all regulations are being followed, as reported by the "Standard".
NEOS Want "Full Clarification" on MedAustron's Iran Deals
The inquiry to Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and State Councilor Ludwig Schleritzko (both ÖVP) titled "MedAustron - Million Grave with Connections to Iran?" was submitted on Wednesday and mainly revolves around the cooperation of MedAustron International GmbH with the Novin Engineering and Trading Company. State parliament member Helmut Hofer-Gruber (NEOS) demanded in a statement "full clarification on how this collaboration came about, what contacts exist with Iranian institutions, and whether public funds from Lower Austria were used." At the end of 2022, there was another state subsidy of 80 million euros for MedAustron, the deputy pink state party chairman announced.
At the groundbreaking ceremony in May 2017 near Tehran, among others, the then Iranian Vice President and head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi was present; the year before, he had visited MedAustron. The nuclear physicist, like the AEOI, has been on the US sanctions list since 2020. MedAustron stated upon request that there is "no official contractual relationship" with Salehi, thus US sanctions against him are irrelevant for the company. "Our customer has been and is continuously checked regarding sanction regulations and is not affected by sanctions," a MedAustron spokeswoman stated.
Use of Tax Money "Excluded" According to Mikl-Leitner's Office
The know-how of MedAustron is in demand internationally and is therefore also offered to other countries, it was stated in response to an APA inquiry from the office of Governor Mikl-Leitner. "The use of tax money is excluded in these projects. On the contrary, the funds generated from them are reinvested in the further expansion of therapy for our compatriots in Lower Austria." The Iran project, originally planned for a duration of five years, "is currently paused," a MedAustron spokeswoman confirmed the "Standard" report. When completion can be expected is "not seriously answerable given the current circumstances."
(APA/Red)
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